{"id":77162,"date":"2026-03-02T08:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T15:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=77162"},"modified":"2026-03-11T12:15:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T19:15:59","slug":"more-than-a-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/more-than-a-show\/","title":{"rendered":"More than a show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long before the lights\u00a0are on\u00a0and\u00a0the audience\u00a0hears\u00a0the\u00a0first lines, an entire world is already in motion. Students in\u00a0<\/span>NAU\u2019s theater program<\/span><\/a>\u00a0not\u00a0only\u00a0perform on stage,\u00a0they\u00a0also\u00a0build\u00a0the stage, work the lights, prepare the costumes, manage the sound, market the\u00a0show\u00a0and\u00a0oversee every\u00a0element\u00a0that brings a production to life. Every position\u00a0in a theater production\u00a0is\u00a0filled\u00a0by\u00a0students\u00a0who take full ownership of the creative process.<\/span>\u00a0\"Cast<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Each semester, the program mounts two productions, challenging students to balance artistry with discipline,\u00a0teamwork\u00a0and\u00a0leadership.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a gift to work with these students,\u201d said\u00a0<\/span>Jaclynn Jutting<\/span><\/b>, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and director of their most recent productions, \u201cThe Dumb Waiter\u201d by Harold Pinter and \u201c<\/span>Los\u00a0Vendidos<\/span>\u201d\u00a0by Luis Valdez.\u00a0\u201cThey are incredible\u00a0artists\u00a0who\u00a0are\u00a0actively learning the skills they need if they want to do this as a career.\u00a0I think theater\u00a0is about community telling stories in a community, and in theater, you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to decide to\u00a0only\u00a0do it professionally;\u00a0you could\u00a0also come to the theater and\u00a0just experience it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/a>McKenzie Mack<\/span><\/b>, a junior majoring in theater and minoring in creative media film who has been in\u00a0several\u00a0theater productions throughout her time at NAU and will be part of the cast of\u00a0Moli\u00e8re\u2019s\u00a0\u201cThe Imaginary\u00a0Invalid\u201d\u00a0in\u00a0April, said her favorite part about the program\u00a0is\u00a0its\u00a0many different\u00a0points of entry.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have so many different clubs,\u201d Mack said. “We have\u00a0a fraternity,\u00a0<\/span>Alpha Psi Omega,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and classes\u00a0for each design aspect\u00a0of\u00a0theater,\u00a0and we combine them all for the shows. Each production gives you an opportunity to work or be on a show. There is always something to\u00a0do\u00a0and that is something I really like.\u00a0You\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to be a theater major or minor to\u00a0participate; all you have to do is show up.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/a>Which is exactly what\u00a0<\/span>Ben Norman<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0an\u00a0environmental sustainability\u00a0major\u00a0who is\u00a0also majoring\u00a0in theater with\u00a0performance\u00a0emphasis, did.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t in\u00a0the\u00a0theater\u00a0program\u00a0until my sophomore year,\u201d Norman said. \u201cI took\u00a0the\u00a0acting intensive\u00a0class\u00a0and I fell in love with it\u00a0because of\u00a0the professors and\u00a0the\u00a0people were so welcoming. It\u00a0was\u00a0\u00a0such\u00a0a fun experience.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Training professionals<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a field as competitive as the performing arts, experience is everything, and this program not\u00a0only\u00a0teaches\u00a0actors but also\u00a0trains\u00a0all kinds of theater\u00a0professionals.\u00a0During the production\u00a0of\u00a0\u201cThe Dumb Waiter\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Los\u00a0Vendidos<\/span>,\u201d\u00a0Norman oversaw the\u00a0firearms, making sure only\u00a0he\u00a0and the head stage manager would move and access them for safety. He said that even though they\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be\u00a0fired\u00a0or used to harm anyone,\u00a0because they do look real, there is a person assigned to watch them\u2014just as\u00a0though\u00a0it were\u00a0a Broadway production or a big-budget film.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Theater<\/a>\"Costume<\/a>\u201cBeing in a show has been the most valuable experience\u00a0to\u00a0me,\u201d Norman said. \u201cWe get hands-on experience by working on the shows as both performers and crew members. Everyone is so welcoming and\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0met so many people.\u00a0During my capstone class,\u00a0I\u00a0was able to build my resume, a website and a network\u00a0thanks to the\u00a0performers and technical designers of major shows\u00a0who\u00a0talked\u00a0to our class about the\u00a0industry.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another member of the production whose capstone class is giving her the tools to prepare for life after college is\u00a0<\/span>Kayla Black<\/span><\/b>, a senior\u00a0double-majoring\u00a0in theater and accountancy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a culmination of all our efforts here in the theater department,\u201d Black said. \u201cI started in costumes my\u00a0freshman\u00a0year and throughout my journey through theater and NAU I have been working in the costume shop. I love\u00a0the collaboration\u00a0and jumping over obstacles that show up\u00a0along\u00a0the way, changing things and adjusting them as we go. My favorite\u00a0part\u00a0of theater\u00a0is\u00a0the people and the community.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building community<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sarah<\/a>Sophomore\u00a0<\/span>Sarah\u00a0Lorraine Lee<\/span><\/b>, who is majoring in theater and minoring in English,\u00a0said NAU theater\u00a0feels\u00a0like a family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTheater is\u00a0filled\u00a0with interesting and amazing\u00a0people\u00a0and you make so\u00a0many\u00a0amazing connections,\u201d Lee said.\u00a0\u201cMy favorite part of being a costume crew head is teaching people how to do\u00a0things; to have the opportunity to explain it the way it was explained to me is\u00a0very rewarding. Working under our professors has been such a wonderful experience and so encouraging. I have felt nothing but\u00a0support\u00a0throughout this process. They are some of the\u00a0most talented women I have worked with and since I want to teach costuming design, I can see my future in\u00a0them\u00a0and it is very bright.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"NAU<\/a>Kate Ellis<\/span><\/b>, a theater professor with a focus on\u00a0costume design,\u00a0technology\u00a0and stage\u00a0makeup, agrees.\u00a0She said some students take internships or work in summer stock, which supports their future careers when they graduate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"NAU<\/a>\u201cOur design and tech students have had a really high level of success getting into the field,\u201d Ellis said.\u00a0\u201cIt can be challenging for our performance students due to the number of actors out there, but our students are getting cast and are well prepared for professional auditions when they graduate.\u00a0Our hashtag is \u2018doing\u00a0theater,\u2019\u00a0so students are not just taking classes and\u00a0studying\u00a0theater;\u00a0they are doing it! We train them\u00a0to\u00a0go out and work through production.\u00a0Watching them grow and helping\u00a0them\u00a0in\u00a0their professional career is very fulfilling. Even if they start in other professions, you can see the core of theater in what they\u00a0do.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The next Theatre Department production is \u201c<\/span>The Imaginary Invalid<\/span><\/a>,\u201d\u00a0scheduled\u00a0for April 17-25 at the\u00a0<\/span>Clifford E. White Lobby.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long before the lights\u00a0are on\u00a0and\u00a0the audience\u00a0hears\u00a0the\u00a0first lines, an entire world is already in motion. Students in\u00a0NAU\u2019s theater program\u00a0not\u00a0only\u00a0perform on stage,\u00a0they\u00a0also\u00a0build\u00a0the stage, work the lights, prepare the costumes, manage the sound, market the\u00a0show\u00a0and\u00a0oversee every\u00a0element\u00a0that brings a production to life. Every position\u00a0in a theater production\u00a0is\u00a0filled\u00a0by\u00a0students\u00a0who take full ownership of the creative process.\u00a0 Each semester, the program mounts…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":77165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1829],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-academics","category-student-edition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}